Three-way races for select board seats top the ballots in West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs as annual town elections begin to take shape in the three down-Island towns.

The deadline to file nomination papers in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and West Tisbury was Feb. 24. Annual town meetings and elections will be held in those towns on April 12 and 14 respectively, kicking off the political season, which has returned to its normal schedule this year.

While Edgartown’s spring election ballot contains an unbroken string of incumbents running unopposed for everything from select board (Michael Donaroma) to land bank representative (Steven Ewing), things are different in the two neighboring towns.

The much-watched race for selectman in West Tisbury is to fill the seat left vacant by the late Kent Healy. Mr. Healy died in October 2021, with one year left in his three-year term.

James Klingensmith, Christopher Lyons and Jessica Miller have all submitted papers to run for the seat.

Mr. Klingensmith is a member of the town’s advisory board for the Howes House. Mr. Lyons has managed the Island’s community deer locker at the Agricultural Hall. Ms. Miller is a member of the West Tisbury board of health, and is also running unopposed for re-election to a three-year term on that board.

West Tisbury select board member Cynthia Mitchell is unchallenged for her ninth term. The remainder of the town’s incumbents are also running unopposed, with the finance committee short one candidate for its two available seats.

In Oak Bluffs, Gail Barmakian is seeking reelection to a fifth term and faces opposition from Jim Bishop, who is a member of the town’s affordable housing committee, and Dion Alley, who has served on the finance committee, the energy committee and as the Oak Bluffs board member for Cape Light Compact and the Cape and Islands Electric Cooperative.

Oak Bluffs is the only Island town with a five-member select board.

There is also a race for the planning board in Oak Bluffs, with incumbent Mark Crossland facing a challenge from Scott Slarsky.

The deadline for filing nomination papers in Chilmark is March 9; in Aquinnah the deadline is March 22.

Tisbury has not set its annual town election date yet.